Deval Patrick on Education

Democrat

Invest in education, innovation, infrastructure

We invest in education because well-prepared young minds and mid-career talent is our global calling card and our economic edge.

We invest in innovation because, with a workforce like ours, enabling and encouraging new ideas is the best way to take advantage of the knowledge explosion happening in the world economy today.

We invest in infrastructure because rebuilding our roads, rails, bridges, expanding broadband to every community, building new classrooms and labs and more affordable housing gives private initiative and personal ambition the platform for growth.

Education, innovation, infrastructure. It's a strategy proven through history. And it's working for us today.

Favors MCAS, but not as only measure of education reform

Q: What’s your take on the MCAS?

PATRICK: I’m in favor of the MCAS. The problem is that we take the MCAS and we slap it on top of school systems that are already under strain. We need to make the MCAS better; we need remedial programs;
we need additional measures of how a student is developing academically so that we are educating the whole child. I think it’s a mistake for us to think that all there is to education reform is one high-stakes test.

Incentives & merit pay on school-wide basis only

Q: What are your views on merit pay for teachers?

PATRICK: I agree with one of the Lt. Governor’s ideas, about incentives to encourage teachers to come to underperforming schools. That’s a great idea. I will also say that I support merit pay but I
think there’s a right way & a wrong way to do it. I think we do differ on this. The right way to do it is in a way that encourages collaboration. So I’m looking at merit pay by team or by school. How do we lift the whole school, ought to be our approach.

Veto moratorium, but cap charters until funding is reformed

GABRIELI: Tom and I support charter schools because we see them as an opportunity for innovation and choice. Deval, I think you’re wrong to refuse these kids the choices that every other parent seeks for themselves to go to a great school.

PATRICK:
Chris, you’re wrong that I don’t support charter schools. As important as charter schools are and as helpful as they are, we need to come up with a different and better funding mechanism before we raise the cap.

REILLY: Deval, if there was a moratorium
proposed by the legislature, to curb any growth in charter schools, would you sign that legislation? I wouldn’t. I think Chris would veto it.

GABRIELI: I would veto it.

REILLY: Would you veto it?

PATRICK: Yes, but listen, we’ve got to be serious
about funding. The formula works in theory, but in real life, there are real tensions between real families and that is not community building and that is not advancing ed reform.

Supports unionized Horace Mann charter over regular charters

Patrick’s support of unionized Horace Mann schools is stronger than his support of non-union commonwealth charters. His education issue paper says: “I will support charter schools (especially Horace Mann charters) by developing funding mechanisms
that do not disadvantage district schools and measuring charter schools in part by whether they are producing innovative ideas that can be imported into district schools.”

Source: Boston Globe Issue Outlines: Education
, Jun 3, 2006

Supports MCAS but would add a science test and other tests

He supports requiring students to pass the MCAS exam before they can graduate, and would add a test in science, but says the state should develop “additional assessment tools” so MCAS is not the only measure of a student’s academic progress.

Source: Boston Globe Issue Outlines: Education
, Jun 3, 2006

Cap charter schools until funding formulas improved

Patrick continued to modify what he acknowledges is an evolving position of support for merit pay for teachers. He also qualified his endorsement of charter schools -- like merit pay, an issue that the teachers’ unions sharply oppose.

On merit pay, Patrick shifted from his support for rewards for individual teachers to saying he favors a system that would encourage collaboration within schools or teams of teachers by awarding bonuses more broadly based
on a school’s overall improvement. The evaluation would not be based on MCAS test results, he said.

On quasi-public charter schools, Patrick said school districts must begin to incorporate those innovations that are proven to
work into traditional public schools. He also said he favors a cap on the number of public schools until new funding formulas for charter schools are devised “that don’t drain” district school funding.

Expand early education opportunities

Because early learning is critical to future academic success, I will expand education opportunities for 3- and 4-year-olds, specifically, by working to pass pending legislation that addresses this need.
I will also ensure that free, full-day Kindergarten programs are available for all 5-year-olds in Massachusetts.

Extend the school day, and explore extending the school year

Classroom teachers are consistently asked to do more in the same or less time. In fact, the school day is still markedly shorter than the work day, leaving many students unsupervised and unengaged in the afternoons.
I will fund extended day initiatives, including additional compensation to teachers and other professionals, to enable more learning time for our kids. I will also explore the feasibility and academic impact of extending the school year.

Reduce class sizes; offer more after-school programs

Smaller class size in early grades appears to hold the greatest promise for increased academic gains. My administration will support efforts to reduce class sizes in early grades by addressing issues of the availability of space, funding and qualified
staff.

We must pursue strategies to take better advantage of the many excellent after-school programs in Massachusetts today, so that students have access to a seamless extension of the academic curriculum.

Supports charter schools

I will support charter schools (especially Horace Mann charters) by developing funding mechanisms that do not disadvantage district schools and measuring charter schools
in part by whether they are producing innovative ideas that can be imported into district schools.

Improve assessment tools including MCAS and beyond

Higher expectations for student performance are essential. I support the MCAS, including the addition of a science component, as a high school graduation requirement. However, I do not believe it should be the sole assessment of student academic progress
Consistent with our objective to educate the whole child, we must develop and use additional assessments tools to measure other vital aspects of academic achievement.

Reinvest in public higher education

Public higher education is critical to our economy, because nearly 85 percent of public higher education students stay in Massachusetts after graduation. These institutions are preparing our future workforce. Specifically,
I will issue bonds to invest in expansion and development of public colleges and universities. Proceeds from the bonds issued to support stem cell research, for example, will be invested in research facilities